Thursday was our day to delve into the Afro-Peruvian identity. I have to remember to look up Audrey Lorde. She was part of the opening though which was phenomenal. During our morning presentation we learned that only 26% of Afro-Peruvians graduate high school. 2% graduate college. The average Afro-Peruvian completes 7.48 years of education. 1 in 4 has not attended primary school. (grade school). In Peru, they ask that you submit pictures along with your job application. This is so employers can discriminate. The police are also known for discriminating against this group in particular. You can legally become "unblacked" - have your blackness removed from your identity. Jose Valdez is a doctor in Peru who did this. He probably would not have reached such a high status if he had continued to be seen as black. Recently, they crowned a black Miss Peru - which was a huge step. This group is still considered to be disorganized, so it's difficult to fight for their rights. The Human Rights Association is one of many groups trying to fight for progress for this group. Their seems to be 2 trains of thought around how to gain access. 1) confront and fight the prejudice. 2) ignore it so you don't give it power, and hope that the lessening of power results in reduction of prejudice

Thursday morning we were supposed to meet with the 2 Afro-Peruvian Congresswomen who were former Olympic volleyball players and used their fame to run for and get elected to congress. One of them ended up being on maternity leave during our trip so she had to cancel. The other cancelled on us last minute for an emergency congress session - while we were on our way to meet her. It was extremely disappointing, but Renata created a work-around that was fantastic.

We ended up turning the bus around and headed toward the Peru Y again. This provided many an opportunity to purchase souvenirs from the Y store - produced by the women we met who started their own factory. Roscio then sat us down in a very nice conference room and took custom fresh juice or coffee orders. She talked to us about the families we met during the mural painting yesterday and how that Y program works.

She explained that the families are poor, so kids have to work the streets. Child labor laws are very lax. Kids get abused in the streets and the parents don't ask how they got the money, they just praise their kids for bringing something in. Because they are working the streets all day they can't attend school. They can't advance out of their situation without education -so it's a cycle of poverty. So, the Ys are providing microloans for families. They provide them with a food cart or candy stand so they have a legitimate way of making money. The kids are provided educational programs by the Y so they have an opportunity to catch up on their education.

300 indigenous families were displaced when they fled drug traffickers. Some of them found their way to Lima and now live in the slums of Lima. In the jungle, they live on riverbanks which is very dangerous. Developers are now trying to move them to create highways, and they can't fight because they have no land rights. The Peru Y is not sure how to reach them because you need a helicopter or boat to find them.

How safe is Lima for these families who have fled to Lima? They feel better off in the jungle than in Lima. Lima was a dream but turned into a nightmare. The stories are similar to those of immigrants to the US. The poorest areas are in the Andes and the mining neighborhoods. The Shining Path (terrorist group) grew out of a bad economic situation in the remote areas. There was a lack of services provided by the gov't, so the people organized and revolted. It has since turned into a terrorist group and drug trafficking group that is feared by many. The Shining Path now causes electrical outages, car bombs, etc. They have international partnerships with drug lords and other scary groups. MOVADEF is the legalized political arm of the Shining Path. Young Peruvians follow MOVADEF because they don't know the history and see it as revolutionary, how it started. They are disciples.

Roscio then taught us about the structure of the Peru Y.

CEO

• Next CEO
• CEO of formal education (the principal lady)
• CEO of non-formal education (Paco)
• CEO of Social Development (Roscio)
• CEO of Administration
• CEO of leadership development
• CEO of expansion